Teen Pregnancy Help

How many teens are on the pill? With so many teens getting pregnant, about three in 10, many parents are wondering how many teens are on the pill and whether or not that is a good option for their teen. Many teens might also be wondering how many teens are on the pill.

According to teen birth control statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, about seven in teens are likely to have sex before they turn 18. This means that at least some of those numbers of teens are using some method or another of contraception. Although teen pregnancy statistics and teen STD statistics show that more teens should be using more birth control and contraception to prevent the spread of STDs as well as unplanned pregnancy. 

How Many Teens are on the Pill?

According to the stats provided by the Guttmacher Institute, about 79 percent of females use some sort of contraception while about 87 percent of males do. While condoms are the most commonly used method of contraception that teens use when they first become sexually active, more and more teens are using the pill, which has a higher success rate of efficiency at about 99 percent of used correctly, whereas condoms are about 85 percent effective. About 21 percent of sexually active females use a combination of the pill or another hormonal method as well as condoms to protect against both STDs and pregnancy followed by about 35 percent of males. Total, about 55 percent of teen females use the pill if they are sexually active.

The number of teen girls using the pill to prevent an unplanned pregnancy seems to be rising. More health clinics like Planned Parenthood are making it easier for teens to be able to get on the birth control pill without having to have parental permission. Just about every state in the United States does not require for teens to have to have parental consent, except Utah and Texas to get birth control if state funds are being used to pay for the contraception. Other types of birth control like condoms are readily available over the counter and do not require any kind of parental permission. Condoms can even be purchased online and do not require any kind of a prescription unlike birth control. 

Many teens that might be skeptical about going to the family doctor to get on the pill because they are worried their parents will find out, do have other options when it comes to getting their female exam and a prescription for birth control. Many women's centers or health care clinics like Planned Parenthood allow teens to get access to their exam and birth control without an issue. 

The Morning After Pill:

The morning after pill is another one of the pill and birth control options teens have. However, unless over 17, teens still have to have parental permission in most states to be able to purchase the pill. The morning after pill works up to three or five days after a case of failed birth control or condom use. This is a backup method of birth control pill and should not be used to regularly prevent pregnancy. It is also much more expensive that traditional birth control pill at about $50 per pill. 

However, with the recent mandate on preventative care, insurance companies are now required to pay entirely for prescription birth control. This is a measure that is intended to help more and more teens get on the birth control pill to help prevent those unintended pregnancies and bring down the amount of taxes ($18 billion) that are paid each year to the benefit of these young mothers. 

To learn more about getting on the pill, talk to your doctor or a health care profession within a medical practice or at a health care facility like Planned Parenthood to help answer any questions you might have about sex or birth control. 

Sources: thenationalcampaign.org, guttmacher.org, avert.org